Stem cell and biotechnology education bill passes assembly education committee

A bill to help prepare California students for careers in the stem cell and biotechnology industries was passed today by the Assembly Education Committee just days after the Obama administration issued new federal rules that will greatly expand stem cell research nationwide.

SB 471, jointly authored by Senator Gloria Romero, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, and Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg was approved.

The "California Stem Cell and Biotechnology Education and Workforce Development Act of 2009" responds to recent reports predicting a shortage of trained professionals to fill jobs in California's emerging biotechnology industry, especially laboratory technicians.

"The expanded research made possible by the new NIH rules will exacerbate the demand for workers in the stem cell and biotechnology fields," said Romero.  "It is more urgent than ever that our public schools develop a homegrown workforce soCalifornia retains its premier position in these growing sectors of the economy."

California leads the nation in stem cell research due to $3 billion in public funding voters approved with Proposition 71 in 2004, after President Bush limited federal research funds in 2001.  President Obama reversed those limits in March.  The National Institutes of Health issued new regulations Monday that expand the number of stem cell lines for research with federal funds.

SB 471 requires the California Department of Education to collaborate with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state stem cell agency, and with the biotechnology industry to include stem cell and biotechnology in existing science and career development programs. It requires that stem cell science be included in the revision of the Science Framework.  It also requests that the University of California include these subjects in the curriculum of the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science and that CIRM consider education and workforce development when allocating Proposition 71 funds.

"This is the Golden State," said Senator Romero, Chair of the Senate Education Committee.  "California's next Gold Rush will be found in the Petri dishes and laboratories of this great state, but only if we produce the next generation of scientists, technicians and trained professionals capable of translating stem cell research into therapies and cures."